We have many challenges ahead, says newly appointed NHS Highland chief
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A NEW chief executive has been appointed to head up NHS Highland.
Pam Dudek will be the health authority's third boss in two years.
She takes up the role on October 5 and will replace Paul Hawkins, who is due to retire.
He arrived in January when Iain Stewart left to take up an ill-fated role with NHS Orkney. Mr Stewart had replaced Elaine Mead, whose eight-year tenure ended in controversy while the health board faced claims of bullying and harassment.
Mrs Dudek was appointed interim deputy chief executive in April.
"We have many challenges ahead as we remobilise our services and put into practice what we learned from our response to the Covid pandemic," she said. "I am particularly delighted to be working with colleagues right across Highland and Argyll and Bute, as we renew our focus on how we work differently together to provide better, more accessible care and services to our communities and to help people look after their own health and wellbeing.”
Mrs Dudek began her career as a nurse cadet in 1982 and completed her training as a psychiatric nurse within NHS Tayside in 1987. After a variety of nursing and leadership roles in substance misuse and mental health services across a number of boards, she moved to NHS Grampian in 2009 to lead an improvement programme on the management of long term conditions across the board area.
In 2012, she took up the role of deputy general manager and subsequently head of healthcare for Aberdeenshire Community Health Partnership, before moving to her most recent role of chief officer for the Moray Integrated Joint Board in October 2014. In the latter role, she led on the set up of the new model of health and social care integration and had oversight of primary care services across Grampian and Dr Gray’s Hospital.
Professor Boyd Robertson, chairman of NHS Highland, said: “Pam was chosen from a strong field of experienced executive leaders from across the UK and beyond.
"She joined the board on secondment from NHS Grampian in April as interim deputy chief executive. During her secondment, she strengthened the executive leadership team, made a substantial contribution to the board’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and co-produced its remobilisation plan with colleagues from across NHS Highland and Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership.
“I am confident that Pam’s considerable leadership experience of partnership working across health, care and the third sector will not only enable NHS Highland to deliver our strategic objectives but to keep building a culture of collaboration and inclusion.
“I look forward to working closely with Pam in her new role and, on behalf of the board, congratulate her on her appointment.”
The appointment has been approved by Scotland's health secretary Jeane Freeman.
She said: “Mrs Dudek has been appointed to continue to improve NHS Highland’s performance on service and delivery, while enabling a culture where every member of staff feels valued. She has a track record of working in partnership across the health and care system which is very relevant to collaborative and inclusive leadership across the board.”
Highlands and Islands Conservative MSP Edward Mountain said: “I welcome the appointment of Pam Dudek and I look forward to working with her to address the huge problems NHS Highland currently faces."
